Recent Attacks On Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                            

Three teen-aged Jewish boys, Eyal Yifra 19, Gilad Shaar 16, and Naftali Fraenkel 16,  were kidnapped, bound and shot dead by Hamas.  Their bodies were found half-buried two weeks after they were kidnapped on Thursday, June 12th after school.  Celebrations have been going on with Hamas over the kidnapping and people have been handing out candies in their joy.  Palestinian TV is full of programs of hatred for Israelis and Hamas encourages the continued attacking should come from Fatah also.  Evidently it did with this horrendous killing.  The night before a barrage of rockets rained down on southern Israel from Hamas and continued into the next morning on June 29th and 30th.  The rockets have been continuing.

                                                                     

                                                                                 

At the same time, suddenly a Palestinian teen boy, Mohammed Abu Khdeir of east Jerusalem,  was found dead and of course the Israelis were blamed for this.  His body was found burned and hard to identify.   The line was that it was done in retaliation and riots have been going on in a frenzy against Israelis in Jerusalem.  More likely, the boy was killed by his own family in another of the honor killings in the Palestinian culture because rumor has it that he was a homosexual.  His pictures showed a  very thin-looking boy.  I note that the Palestinians' rioting is accompanied with the exact description in their news of a "celebration by the Israelis over this."  Hamas has congratulated the kidnapping.  Is it not a wonder then that they were the instigators if not the culprits?   I have seen nothing in the Israeli news of this, only the sorrow felt before with all of Israel praying in large groups for their safe return, the family's sorrow and the resolve to remain committed to Israel.  Every time something happens, the Palestinian news always copies for themselves what they have caused in the Israelis.  They try to turn the tide and make-believe that they are the victims instead of the aggressors.  It's been in Judaism since the Exodus of Moses and the Israelites that we are not to be happy when the enemy dies, as they are also children of G-d.  I cannot picture any of our IDF cheering over the death of this boy.  Immediately they would know the complication that would be caused from such an event, too.  No, this is all hear-say to instigate the Palestinians to riot.  

                                                                           

In March  2014 between the 12th and 14th, 60 rockets fell. This was before, during and after Purim.   

Today, June 27, 2014:  A total of 6 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, with the remaining 4 landing in open territory.

Update: 6/28: In center of Gaza were underground rocket launchers, Israel hit them, retaliation from Hamas of 5 to 6  rockets hitting Sderot, causing fire in industrial section.

Update: 6/30  Gaza has fired 15 rockets into Israel last night and this morning.       

Update:   There have been near-daily rocket attacks, followed by Israeli reprisals. 

Update: 6/31  More than a dozen rockets fired from Gaza Strip slammed into Israel early Monday morning , following violent days in the south which have seen a rocket hit an Israeli factory and IDF retaliatory attacks kill at least one.  A factory in Sderot was hit and a man in it injured.  

                                                                       July

July 1

In the late night Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at Israel. The rocket landed in the open field in the Eshkol Regional Council. No injuries or damage are reported. In the morning 4 more rockets were fired. One fell in an open area in Sdot Negev. Another caused damage to several vehicles in the Eshkol Regional Council. A third rocket exploded in the area Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. No injuries were reported The fourth rocket caused a fire near a packaging factory in Eshkol. Though it looked like the fire were turned off, it has spread. Firefighting planes and additional squads try to stop the flames. So far no injuries are reported.   In the evening a salvo of mortar shells was launched at the Eshkol Regional Council area. No red alert in advance, but Explosions were heard. Security forces are inspecting the area. No reports of injuries or damages

July 2

Short after midnight two mortar shells exploded in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council. No damage or injuries are reported. In the afternoon three mortar shells were fired at the same region. All exploded in open fields. No injuries or damage reported. Again four mortar shells were fired in the Eshkol Regional Council. No one was hurt, no damage reported. In the evening code red alarm was heard in the Ashkelon area. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System, one exploded in open field. Red alert siren blared in the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Councils.   Minutes after 2 rockets landed in open areas around. Five rockets were launched on the Sdot Negev Regional Council, three were launched towards Ofakim. One was shot down by Iron Dome, the others hit open fields. No damages ore injuries were reported. A rocket was fired on Eshkol Regional Council. No damages, no injuries.

July 3

1 hour past midnight the colour red siren is heard in Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.   One rocket exploded in Sderot. None was hurt, but structures got damaged.  "Terrorists in Gaza continue their relentless rocket fire upon Israel on Thursday as a Kassam rocket struck a building in Sderot Thursday morning that is being used as a summer day camp for children. The rocket thankfully did not explode as children were set to arrive minutes before the impact."

Fatah is following Hamas' lead with TV programs calling for the destruction of Israel.  Abbas is saying, Fatah heats up confrontational atmosphere:"Blood demands blood"Jerusalem, declare a revolution!"
Don't expect Abbas will try to cut ties with Hamas now, which is what Netanyahu has asked him to do.  They had united and they seem to be united with Gorilla glue.  

6/3/14 Another rocket fell on a home and one fell next to a pre-school in Israel

Resource: http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-hamas-leadership-of-palestine_27.html

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/06/30/israeli-army-14-rockets-fired-at-israel-from-gaza
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4536060,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2014
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/17561/kassam-rocket-lands-childrens-summer-camp-following-iaf-strike/?utm_source=Breaking+Israel+News&utm_campaign=9e62bc6c10-BIN+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b6d3627f72-9e62bc6c10-83518689

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=11913

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/middle-east/israeli-palestinian-relations/the-body-of-the-murdered-palestinian-teenager-will-be-brought-to-rest-6241?utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyNewsletter

Gazan Rocket Attacks Result in Israel Retaliation, Search Hebron for Kidnapped Teens

Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Last week on Saturday "Shabbat", June 14, 2014,  2 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel  early in the evening and landed in the southern section of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, where the main hospital is that services everyone including Gazans.  Like the old adage, they bite the hand that feeds them, in this situation, they bite the hand that can save their lives. That very morning another rocket had been fired which brought about the IDF hitting another armory and other targets in the southern Strip.  Again, another direct hit.

Israel answered the attacks by striking 6 targets later on Saturday evening with the 2nd attack on the coastal territory within the same 24 hours.  They hit 4 terrorist headquarters of which 3 were in the southern Strip and 1 was in the center.  They also hit 2 weapons storehouses (armories)  in the south. It was a  direct hit.
                                                                       

Mohammed Awar, an officer in the Hamas police,  was the terrorist responsible for the past rocket attacks against Israel over the last few years and in the last month. He was a Salafist, the most extreme of the Muslim religion and an extreme terrorist. They "deem unnecessary and un-Islamic other ideologies such as liberalism or humanism.  The group of Salafists,  Takfir wal-Hijra, who kidnapped and murdered an Egyptian ex-government minister in 1978, inspired some of "the tactics and methods" used by Al Qaeda.   It was Awar's  group that was behind the April 21 rocket strikes on Sderot and other towns within reach of the Hamas terrorists.    Israel targeted him while he was riding his motorcycle in the northern Strip and he died soon afterwards. Hamda Nasser, in his 20's, was injured.   Killed also accidentally along with him was a 7 year old boy, Ali Abed al-Latif Alawar.  This is the problem.  Usually the killers surround themselves with the innocent women and children.
                                                                         

This week should bring some news about the 3 teen agers who were kidnapped by Hamas living in the PA territory of Judea-Samaria.  Abbas is not happy about the act but can only blame himself for having all their energies go to hatred of Israelis and continued encouragement of this sort of thing.  Israel is furious and rounded up about 355 men hoping to find a lead.  It's important to give the terrorists a reason to not do this again to anyone, so are making life pretty miserable for them.  Israel has to find these children.  50 of those were arrested;  and  were some of the 1,027 prisoners freed by Israel in 2011 in the exchange deal to free Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier who had been kidnapped.

Seconds after they were kidnapped, one had used his cell phone to report to the police that they had been kidnapped, but the police thought it was a prank.  Eyal Yifra 19, Gilad Shaar 16 and Naftali Fraenkel 16 were kidnapped late Thursday, June 12th.  Nothing has been heard since.

The kidnappers, Hamas terrorists,  are finding it might not have been worth the trouble, since now a Palestinian 16 year old who was participating in a riot in Judea in the village of Dura early Friday was shot by the IDF for throwing rocks.  An Israeli soldier was wounded by stone-throwing in Qalandiyah in Judah overnight on Thursday.   A 22 year old rioter was  injured by gunfire in a clash near Qalandiyah checkpoint against the IDF and later died in hospital.  The violence came with the search for the kidnapped children.  Searching was not made easy for those worried soldiers.

This is what happens from recognizing a Palestine made up of united Fatah and Hamas terrorists.  Hamas is stirring up Fatah and this has happened from it.  It has allowed Hamas to move into Judea and Samaria.  Instead of having peace in mind, they have war instead.

Resource: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.598772, by Jack Khoury, June 15, 2014
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salafist_jihadism
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.600059

Clashes in West Bank (Judea-Samaria)

 Nadene Goldfoot                                     Judea-Samaria  (West Bank)
                        
Does anyone realize that the West Bank (Judea-Samaria) happens to be the very land that was ancient Israel?  King David, of the tribe of Judah,  had ruled over Israel with Jerusalem as his capital in about 1,000 BCE.  It split into 2 kingdoms with Judah keeping the Davidic dynasty and Jerusalem while Israel made Samaria its capital.  This "West Bank" was to be part of the Jewish Homeland in the original plans with Britain who held the mandate. Jordan had illegally grabbed the area in 1948 as it lies next to his state, allowed or encouraged Palestinians to live there, and it didn't come under Israel's domain until 1967.   Now, the land is designated to become "Palestine" when the conditions become peaceful.  The catch is that Abbas and his crew plan to have it devoid of Jews, just like the Nazi plan of Judenrein.  Israel contains 1.4 million Arabs but the Arabs' state is to have zero Jews.

350,150 Jewish Israelis now lived in this area as it holds so many places and feelings for Jews. 300,000 Jews also live in East Jerusalem, which is also counted as part of the "West Bank."   Palestinian Arabs also live here. Area C of the West Bank is 70% Jewish.   Now that Gaza has quieted down, clashes are happening in many cities.  There are 4 Palestinian prisoners who decided to go on a hunger strike, and all belong to terrorist groups and are dangerous.  For some reason, the Arab population in the West Bank have suddenly started rioting, demanding they be released.

Now, another new prisoner, Arafat Jaradat, 30 years old, arrested for throwing rocks at Jews in Judea, was found dead in his cell and the crowd's immediate conclusion was that he had been tortured to death.    Israeli officials deny this and said that bruises on his body were from resuscitation.  They thought he had died from a heart attack.  An autopsy was done Sunday which was observed by a Palestinian doctor who was the Palestinian Prisoners Minister Issa Qaraqi.  He saw bruises on the chest, back, arms and mouth.  His conclusion was torture during interrogation causing psychological shock leading to immediate death.  Now Palestinians are calling for an international inquiry of the jails and how Jaradat died.  Israel is saying they need the results of a toxicology and other tests are completed and that torture didn't happen.    His body was returned to the family for burial today.

Before this unfortunate event happened, clashes were going on in Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin and at checkpoints in East Jerusalem and south of Nablus. between IDF and young Palestinians.  With so many clashes going on at the same time, I feel they  had been purposely organized.  President Obama is due to arrive in Israel on March 20th, so somebody is stirring up trouble here.

Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov cocktails against Israeli soldiers who used tear gas and rubber bullets. The outcome was 4 protesters that were seriously wounded, report  the Palestinians.

Torture seems to be a world cry right now.  President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan is charging the USA that they are torturing and murdering innocent people and ordered all US special operations forces to leave a province in 2 weeks.  This results in  calling in NATO airstrikes in populated areas citing civilian casualties.  We're supposed to be out of there by 2014.  In the meantime, Taliban suicide bombers targeted Afghan security forces in 3 different attacks on Sunday with the results of 4 Afghan security men and one civilian killed.  Karzai is pinpointing US special forces in Wardak for harassing, annoying, torturing and murdering innocents.

Resource: Oregonian newspaper 2/25/13 Riots follow West Bank death by Edmund Sanders and Maher Abukhater, LA Times.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_settlement
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/26/jewish-population-west-bank-up
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/settlepop.html
http://baruchsbreeze.blogspot.com/2012/09/official-yesha-population-stats-yossi.html

All Is Not Quiet in Israel/Gaza: Presidents Keep Working

Nadene Goldfoot
We may not be reading articles about what's happening in Israel right now, but Ashdod just saw and felt a rocket fall in their neighborhood on Tuesday morning.  The IDF air force responded overnight by hitting 2 rocket launching sites and an arms storage facility.

That makes 858 rockets and mortars that have been shot into Israel this year so far.  119 of them were shot in the latest round that fell into Israel.  The Iron Dome also intercepted 110.  Dozens fell inside the Palestinian territory.

Besides this one rocket shot during the new ceasefire, Gazans were rioting near the border fence trying to damage it.  The IDF were forced to shoot at them and injured 7.  So the IDF must remain alert to problems that keep happening.  Jerusalem Post has an article saying that Hamas is counting on Jews leaving the country because they feel they have scared them enough to leave if another round of shooting starts up again.  They don't know the resistance these people have to their adversity.

In the meantime, Fatah, living in Judea and Samaria territory have Abbas who is going to the UN to become a state of sorts.  There already are 48 Muslim majority states, and this would make 49.    The United States will not be able to veto this as it'll take place in the General Assembly, but not surprising, France said they will go along with it.  What do they care?  They're not neighbors.  They're not involved.  What the USA has done is threaten Abbas that they will cut off  the annual $500 million aid if they make the bid without any negotiations and peace terms with Israel.

Why I"m against it is that it gives Fatah clout that they will use against Israel, making a solution even farther away; definitely in the time of the Messiah, no doubt.  Abbas is intent on retiring with this accomplishment, as he'll be 78 years old on March 26, 2013. If he gets this bid, it'll also mean his political survival if he wants it, as he took over leadership from Arafat when he died 8 years ago.    Only someone like Israel's President Shimon Peres, who'll be  90 years old on August 2, 2013, has the stamina and intelligence to keep working for the public.  This Polish-born dynamo is the grandson of a Rabbi in a line of Rabbis.  He seems to know how to live with stress, and is in good shape.

Resource:  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4304605,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-28/abbas-tries-to-outflank-hamas-with-return-to-un-statehood-bid

Palestinians Rioting Again In Jerusalem

Palestinians were rioting just before Biden arrived because Israel announced it was fixing historic sites. Palestinians have contributed to the destruction of many a Jewish site over the years, and all need fixing now and then. Palestinians are doing things like dedicating their sites to terrorists who killed lots of Israelis which is also very hurtful to us. We haven't rioted over this, just shake our heads in disgust. It's not a neighborly thing to do at all, but fixing everyone's sites is. Yet they riot. I can't comprehend this behavior.

Now they're rioting in Jerusalem again, incited and empowered by Biden and then Hillary Clinton's chastisements of Netanyahu allowing the announcement of 1,600 apartment units in the allowed Eastern part of Jerusalem. It doesn't take much to give them an excuse to cause trouble. They're rioting more now than they would have with just the announcement, I fear.

I lived in Israel from 1980-1985 and can well believe that Netanyahu didn't know that his interior ministry would make an announcement about the upcoming planned building when it happened, but I think it was a good thing that happened instead of a bad thing. I feel that Biden was steamrolling facts pertaining to things on the table to be discussed in the planned peace talks. This sure brought things out in the open; facts Biden wasn't aware of? Or was he?

Actually, Mitchell was the one to conduct peace talks, and now he's not coming. He's been very one sided anyway, giving special nice treatment to the Palestinians, I feel. I'd like to know what the Irish think of his handling of their situation. Are both sides happy? I think having an Irish group to talk peace with would be much easier at this point. They may have hated each other but they did have a lot in common, even their religion up to a point. They didn't know what hate was like until they know the hate the Palestinians have manifested against Jews. Where else do you find textbooks in grade school with such hate as what the Palestinians have printed? The lies that have been told are believed even more as they are continually told. The Irish didn't have another country encouraging one side to wipe the other into the sea, or supply and threaten to kill them with atomic weapons, either. It's an impossible situation that is quite different from the Irish one. Each situation is unique. Mitchell should know that.